Shalom! My name is Joanne. I started this website, MiriamsCup.com, in 2000 to share new rituals I was incorporating into my family Passover Seder.
Because my family belonged to an Orthodox synagogue, as a woman I was unable to have a Bat Mitzvah. In the summer of 2000, I participated in a group Bat Mitzvah ceremony at the Hadassah national convention in Los Angeles. Writing a drash, or scholarly essay, was part of my preparation, and I chose the topic of Jewish feminist rituals in the Passover Seder. During my research, I realized that while a Miriam’s Cup was beginning to be placed on the Seder table, there was no formal ritual for its use in the Passover Seder. It didn’t seem right to me to set a new object on the Seder table to represent women’s equality without adding meaningful content to the Haggadah reading. So I decided to write a formal ritual for Miriam’s Cup as part of my Hadassah Bat Mitzvah project. Making a website seemed the ideal way to communicate this new ritual.
While I think that separate women’s Seders can be an enriching experience, incorporating women’s rituals and content into the family Seder also is important. Passover is the perfect holiday to recall women’s quest for equality in both secular and religious life. A Miriam’s Cup ritual helps make the family Seder more inclusive by emphasizing the pivotal role played by women in the continuity of Judaism.
Women’s stories are infrequent told in Jewish history. Thus, it is essential to provide examples of important Jewish women who can serve as role models for our daughters. I decided to tell the story of a heroic Jewish woman at my Passover Seder, choosing a woman who combines feminist ideals with Jewish values. My guests really look forward every Passover to hear the story of an accomplished Jewish woman who made significant contributions to contemporary society. This website contains the biographies of women I have honored each year beginning in 1998.